Press Releases

Meeting works towards ensuring all births and deaths in the Pacific are counted

22 February 2016

Noumea, New Caledonia – Registrars, statisticians and health information specialists from across the Pacific are gathering in Noumea, New Caledonia, this week (22-25 February) to share experiences and lessons on improving civil registration and vital statistics systems and data.

This is the first regional meeting of its kind to bring all three major sectors together within the region, and is an opportunity to share the lessons and experiences from the first five years of the Pacific Vital Statistics Action Plan.

Civil registration is essential to provide timely data for development, to plan services such as schools and infrastructure, support human and child rights and to promote good governance and accountability.

Vital statistics and cause of death data collected through a routine registration system is also essential to be able to effectively identify and respond to key health issues in the Pacific region, such as non-communicable diseases.

The Pacific EMIS Facility (as part of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community) has completed the first major work in releasing new tools and processes for the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Department (MEHRD) of the Solomon Islands.

Since the early 2000s, SIEMIS data has been maintained and reported through a desktop application (Access/Excel) with data collected primarily through an annual school survey that occurs at the end of the first quarter of the year. This annual survey together with data from several other sources from the divisions are entered into SIEMIS to result in a rich dataset with a strong time-series element.

Better Pacific fisheries and agriculture statistics to help improve livelihoods of millions

Nadi, Fiji - Planners, statisticians and policy makers from 13 Pacific Island countries are gathering in Nadi, Fiji, today to improve the collection and use of agricultural and fisheries statistics in the Pacific.

Timely and accurate statistics will help governments make evidence-based policy decisions and monitor the successful implementation of policy objectives.

The workshop on "Strategic Planning for Agriculture and Fisheries Statistics for Pacific Island Countries" is organised by the European Union supported Pacific Agriculture Policy Project (PAPP) which is implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

Pacific Islands plan for 2020 World Round of Population and Housing Censuses

Noumea, New Caledonia - Pacific Census Commissioners and Government Statisticians are meeting at the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) this week for an important Pacific Community planning meeting concerning the 2020 World Round of Population and Housing Censuses.

Countries around the world are urged by the United Nations to conduct at least one population and housing census in the decade spanning from 2015-2024, called the "2020 World Round", and to use internationally-adopted quality standards.